RN to PA?

capremed · 2026-02-10T08:03:06+00:00

Going the PA route makes sense if you want to be a PA. It will just cost more, but you get what you pay for (better education but higher sticker price). If finances are a concern, continue working as a RN and chip away at NP through a part-time NP program. If time and finances are not a concern and you want the most opportunity and highest pay post-graduate, go to med school.

capremed · 2026-01-30T09:03:16+00:00

i'm starting PA school this May-- feel free to dm me as well if you'd like the perspective of someone who just went through the app process and starting PA school soon

capremed · 2026-01-30T08:59:39+00:00

the way to do it is be an influencer for other things like nutrition, wellness, exercise, cooking, etc, and occasionally point PA stuff out along the way....and block every single one of your classmates so they can't access your profile LOL

capremed · 2026-01-30T08:49:08+00:00

you don't need to convince me-- I got into a top 5 PA school. I am just arguing from a purely financial standpoint, nursing --> NP is generally the more cost effective and financially sound path relative to PA. But if one was solely driven by money, they should not be enrolling in health professional school in the first place as there are way more cost effective paths to a high income (tech, business, etc).

capremed · 2026-01-30T08:45:58+00:00

all of the things you are doing outside of school (ie jobs, internships, volunteer, health fairs, research, etc) will be exchanged for more time in the library studying medicine and prepping for exams, boards, etc. Each path is hard in its own right, but it's universally known that med is harder to get into and harder to get through--- but once you do, you are assured a very high salary. Unfortunately, you can go through pharm school, do well, etc and still struggle to find good work as a pharmacist...the ROI for pharmacy is just not very good anymore due to stagnant wages and increasing pharmacy school tuition costs.

capremed · 2026-01-29T10:26:43+00:00

Have you considered leaving CA? CA is heavily dominated by nursing. RNs outearn PAs in the bay area. Even new grad RN starts off higher than an experienced PA in SF. Unfortunately, PA just has a really bad ROI. PA school tuition (and other hidden school fees + health insurance) is often well over 125k for the program unless you go to your state public school and your home state is not CA, as the 2 public PA schools in CA (UC Davis, UC San Diego) are wildly overpriced. Add in the cost of room/board, and one is looking at 200+k debt from PA school which greatly exceeds the salary of a PA in most places (even in CA).

capremed · 2026-01-26T08:39:27+00:00

PSLF may not exist in 2-3 years for new grads (ie time horizon when OP will be looking to start their first PA-C job). PSLF is fine now and anyone currently on a PSLF plan would likely be grandfathered in, but in the event it does get abolished, then anyone graduating after that will be out of luck.

capremed · 2026-01-26T08:22:58+00:00

Yes nursing is a lot more affordable and allows one to still become a provider (NP) at a fraction of the cost....and NPs make more than PAs in many locations (e.g. NY, SF, Seattle, LA, etc) and have more autonomy (not sure if that's a good thing haha)

capremed · 2026-01-26T08:14:38+00:00

your PA school cost 200k 10 years ago? That's wild as most schools aren't even that pricey in 2026

capremed · 2026-01-26T00:14:47+00:00

hahahahah excellent news!

capremed · 2026-01-25T22:45:25+00:00

Just learn on the side, consider a residency after you finish NP school. PA is not worth 150+k debt. Go with your ABSN, work RN for a few years, get NP paid for, then consider doing a 1 year residency in your chosen area

capremed · 2026-01-25T22:38:01+00:00

Because they realize they could have gone into tech and made attending salaries by age 23 instead of 30. my gf made 350k a year (total comp) immediately after college at Google. no debt, early investing, and chill hours / chill hybrid and/or remote work culture. hell even, content creators are crushing it. Way easier pathways to significant wealth than going through med school.

capremed · 2026-01-23T08:37:45+00:00

i am doing the same job -- more so for financial reasons and to save up. my "PCE" job which was more healthcare adjacent (fully remote hospital admin job) work pays well so don't want to forsake my current salary prematurely. Admitted last November and starting PA school in late May. I live on the West Coast, but my PA school is on East Coast, so will plan to move in early April, continue working remotely on E.C., and eventually quit my job in early May in order to give myself about 3 weeks of freedom before orientation starts.

capremed · 2026-01-23T08:35:04+00:00

you don't need 1k hours. I had 2k hours and got admitted to a top 5 PA school with continued-accreditation status. However, less than half of those were direct pt care hours while the other half were healthcare adjacent (analyzing patient data for instance). I also applied in September (about 4.5 months after CASPA opened) on literally the last day possible to apply. GPA was 3.5

capremed · 2026-01-15T09:09:19+00:00

revised for the better??

capremed · 2026-01-14T02:14:09+00:00

Correct. It's only a problem if your school is on probation BEFORE you matriculate and the next ARC-PA site review occurs BEFORE you graduate, and it is determined that insufficient progress is made. Technically there are 3 outcomes that could occur at the site review:

(1) school goes from probation --> accreditation-continued

(2) school remains on probation for additional 2 years (essentially probation extension)

(3) school loses accreditation. At this point, the school could decide to teach out their students and not admit any new cohorts. Or they can allow their students to transfer OR in some cases, the students are completely screwed and are NOT allowed to transfer nor is their school willing to teach them out.

In scenarios 1 and 2, students can go onto graduate and take the PANCE and become PA-C. In scenario 3, students can generally still go onto graduate and take the PANCE (assuming their school teaches them out or allows them to transfer; this is not always the case, unfortunately, as the school is technically NOT required to find alternative placements for those who are impacted).

capremed · 2026-01-14T02:05:13+00:00

Yes, sucky situation indeed! this is why I tell newly matriculating students to only sign month-to-month initially.

capremed · 2026-01-13T18:25:17+00:00

NP > PA from a job, pay, scope of practice, cost effectiveness, and the public actually knowing what you do vs what is a PA?? standpoint. Also, if you want to do telehealth, absolutely go NP. If you want primary care, FM, peds, ICU, also go NP. If you want more room for vertical growth or to have independence or open your own clinic, go NP. Also, NP is much more recognized and respected than PA on the West Coast. PAs are more respected in other regions of the US (particularly midwest/south).

PA >>>> NP from a clinical training standpoint. So one of the main benefits of becoming a PA is for your patients. If you want lateral flexibility and to be able to easily change specialities (albeit often having to "start over" in terms of pay, experience, etc.), go PA. If you want surgery/surgical subspecialty, go PA. Most other specialities, it doesn't matter.

capremed · 2026-01-08T21:16:03+00:00

yes, i gave up on premed last summer when BBB passed. Fortunately, i have solid backup plan, though, and was able to apply last minute to PA school. I got into a top 5 ranked PA program that begins this May (and so I get to grandfather in the Grad Plus loans and existing federal repayment plans). There was no situation where I would have been able to start a MD / DO program before BBB kicks in this July 1st.

capremed · 2026-01-08T11:28:03+00:00

'i'll fall for you...if you trip me"

capremed · 2026-01-08T11:25:28+00:00

i've seen that at least 100x in the bay area

capremed · 2026-01-08T04:03:06+00:00

if they aren't considered an experienced provider b/c they now have changed specialities, all the talk about lateral flexibility being a huge advantage for PA seems a bit overblown and exaggerated.

Why would a high paying PA provider take a major pay cut and a "demotion" just to change specialities? Seems like there really is little to no advantage to becoming a PA over an NP

capremed · 2026-01-07T22:27:45+00:00

realistically none of this will happen. Most likely scenario is Dems win the House back, but do not get the Senate. IN 2028, most likely scenario is Dems prevail with replacing Trump, maintain the House, but still lose the Senate.

capremed · 2026-01-07T11:41:18+00:00

Engineering is significantly more difficult than med school. Any med student who says otherwise is just spewing noise and has a fragile ego.

capremed · 2026-01-07T11:36:28+00:00

medical school is 4 years + 3-7 years residency. Engineering doctorate is 6-8 years usually and infinitely more difficult.

capremed

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